A laptop with audio 3.5 mm and USB port for one of those USB audio gizmos.Great.But I have three speakers that I could power and they are made for computer use so they all have built-in amplifiers. They were a gift and a pair are JBL. Not junk.They all have stereo type 3.5 mm plugs.And I am hard-of-hearing with no neighbors so save loudness rants.The laptop also has the VLC orange traffic cone gizmo which really improved the sound - equalizer wise.Is this "do-able" or a pipe dream?Thanks In Advance.

PC USB output is normally limited to 500ma specThat means 2.5wThere is no power on the 3.5 mm sterro JackIf the jbl speakers are externaly powered from another source ( not pc ) you can certainly use the audio signal to drive them, to get more soundI have a pair of pc speakers with built in amp, that are powered by a wall wortThat i sometimes useSide note, my first job in California was at JBL, in Northridge Ca, in their then brand new facilityFunny thing i drove by there this morning, they are doing more construction at what is now the Harmon Karden xxxx CampusOk sorry, back on topic carry on

Is what doable? Powering your existing speakers from USB? Maybe, maybe not, there's not enough info. Do any of them run on 5V (look at the soap-on-a-rope power adapter. If any are 5 VDC and <500 mA, probably (may depend on laptop). If any are 12 VDC, you should be able to cable them into a standard 12 VDC cigar lighter outlet ("DC Outlet" in modern, politically correct, terms).If any speaker, a lot of the rechargeable Bluetooth speakers available recharge via USB, will run while USB powered, and also have 3.5 mm jacks. If the laptop has Bluetooth, you could even avoid the cable - those small speakers don't have enough fidelity for it to make a difference in sound.Or, as the title implies, do you want to power all ("multiple") speakers from USB? A single USB port, nope.Be clear in what you're asking.

I have a pair of USB powered speakers. Better sound than what comes out of most laptops. Good for a couple of people watching a movie, but that is it.

The 3.5mm port that is for headphone or external speaker/s can be harnessed to drive your JBL speakers. The power is not enough to drive the voice coil however.To enhance the wattage output of this 3.5mm port you can install a pre-amp right at the output of the 3.5mm.Your amplified JBL speakers can work with the pre-amp to even extend the volume range of your laptop.Three pre-amp models are available at ALL Electronics. Since you already have the amplified JBLs you can try the 4 watt first, if you need more to knock your socks off (lol) go to the 20 watt model. Good stuff made by Velleman in Germany.Another plus: you said that you have three...you can tap the third speaker to the L channel and you got yourself a pseudo surround sound set up. Mount it behind your head board or your favorite chair.The model numbers escape me right now but you can browse their website. They sell like hotcakes so one catalog number may not be in stock at a given time. Requires assembly and a bit of some electronic savvy (which shouldn't be a problem)and comes with schematic diagram. Price range is $5 to $25.DW loves this stuff, it's like being in movie theater watching Netflix in the study-- audio signal from her Samsung tablet.

Good info. All three speakers use 3.5mm stereo plugs. Two JBL's have plugs for 120 volt receptacles. The single unit measures about 3" x 6" x 2" and (I guess) uses the USB connector for power. Meaning the red speaker has both a USB connection and a 3.5 mm jack.Three 3.5mm plugs and one laptop jack. The main question is whether the laptop (headphone) amp could handle both 3.5mm JBL speakers. The 120vac 2-prong plug has to be for the speaker amplifiers.So then the laptop can run the 3.5 mm jack and the USB simultaneously?I would then need a "Y" or the jack. And suitable extensions for everything. (?)Ha! I found a 10" Polk amplified subwoofer that could replace the red box speaker. Guesswork tells me connection of the laptop to the Polk subwoofer also needs to be confirmed. How forgiving are subwoofer amp inputs?This is a traveling circus via toad. So the subwoofer is a major space consumer.

USB Powering Multiple Speakers...?!? | Good Sam Community

12 Replies

mike-s
Explorer
Jun 21, 2017
Is what doable?

Powering your existing speakers from USB? Maybe, maybe not, there's not enough info. Do any of them run on 5V (look at the soap-on-a-rope power adapter. If any are 5 VDC and <500 mA, probably (may depend on laptop). If any are 12 VDC, you should be able to cable them into a standard 12 VDC cigar lighter outlet ("DC Outlet" in modern, politically correct, terms).

If any speaker, a lot of the rechargeable Bluetooth speakers available recharge via USB, will run while USB powered, and also have 3.5 mm jacks. If the laptop has Bluetooth, you could even avoid the cable - those small speakers don't have enough fidelity for it to make a difference in sound.

Or, as the title implies, do you want to power all ("multiple") speakers from USB? A single USB port, nope.

Be clear in what you're asking.
MrWizard
Moderator
Jun 21, 2017
PC USB output is normally limited to 500ma spec
That means 2.5w
There is no power on the 3.5 mm sterro Jack
If the jbl speakers are externaly powered from another source ( not pc ) you can certainly use the audio signal to drive them, to get more sound

I have a pair of pc speakers with built in amp, that are powered by a wall wort
That i sometimes use

Side note, my first job in California was at JBL, in Northridge Ca, in their then brand new facility
Funny thing i drove by there this morning, they are doing more construction at what is now the Harmon Karden xxxx Campus

Ok sorry, back on topic carry on

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USB Powering Multiple Speakers...?!?

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